AT FIRST glance this bow might seem to be identical with the composite bow which is described on
page 13 but we believe that there is a fundamental difference. In all probability, the mu'aqqabah was
essentially a wooden bow, of the general type and nature of wooden bows, which was strengthened
by the addition of horn and sinew. That is to say, specifically, that inasmuch as the wood was the
chief component it would be too thick to be bent acutely without fracture unless it were well over
five feet in length—even nearer to six feet—and the bow would be nearly, or quite, straight when it was
unbraced. Such bows have existed elsewhere at various times and, while they often show some
reflexion, or bending toward the back when unbraced, the curve is gradual, regular, and conservative—more
like the arc of a large circle; it is never the sharp, angular, and exaggerated reflexion which is
one of the dominant characteristics of the true composite bow.

Why the reinforced bow was "used only by experts and those who live near water," is obscure. The
first phrase may imply that their greater strength would require the well developed musculature of
an expert to control them adequately. The second may refer to atmospheric humidity. Although too
much dampness may soften the sinew and thus reduce the power of either a reinforced or a composite
bow, too much dryness can make them weak and also brittle, chiefly by destroying the colloidal
nature of the glue. In our personal collection of composite bows from Korea, China, and India are
several which have been utterly ruined by the dryness of the air in our steam-heated American
houses. Some have almost completely lost their cast and some have broken when they were drawn
because of separation and buckling of their component parts.

The process of treating bows by heat was described in the eighteen-thirties by a Turk named Mustafa
Kani, who wrote an excellent book on archery by command of the Sultan Mahmud 11. Bows were
dried in the sun or warmed over a fire, if too damp, in order to increase their cast but also, if the bow
were too strong, it could be weakened by being baked in a felt-lined box for perhaps two days. The
proper tempering to secure either result was evidently a matter of experience and judgment. Beyond
stating that a heated bow should be hung in a cool, shady place before it is drawn, no hint is given of
any other sort of conditioning in the many arid places—even deserts—where such bows were undoubtedly
used.